


Help Me

by justthehiddles



Series: Adam and Charlie | The Reluctants [2]
Category: Only Lovers Left Alive (2013)
Genre: Adam Is Soft, Aftermath of Violence, And supportive, Angst with a Happy Ending, Dancing, F/M, Fluff and Angst, Master of Death Harry Potter, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Therapy, Trauma
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-10
Updated: 2020-08-10
Packaged: 2021-03-05 22:42:05
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,575
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25823074
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/justthehiddles/pseuds/justthehiddles
Summary: Charlie deals with the aftermath of being kidnapped and held hostage by Jason.  Adam tries to help and Charlie officially moves in.  Sort of.
Relationships: Adam (Only Lovers Left Alive) & Original Female Character(s)
Series: Adam and Charlie | The Reluctants [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1863973
Comments: 10
Kudos: 18





	Help Me

**Author's Note:**

> This takes place immediately after the events of the end of The Reluctants (the three weeks following).

“I still don’t understand why I can’t keep my stuff upstairs.”

Adam shot a glare over the two boxes he was carrying down the stairs, a few steps behind Charlie.

“Do we need to talk about the fact that your stalker ex-boss kidnapped you?”

“No.” Charlie responded.

Her voice cracked and her chin dropped while her grip on the box of books wobbled. Adam dropped the boxes onto the step.

“Darling, I didn’t mean to upset you.” He pushed in front of Charlie and pulled her against his chest. She sobbed into his shirt, soaking the fabric.

“I know… I’m sorry… I….” Charlie wailed, shaking in Adam’s arms.

Adam winced, knowing he set off the breakdown.

“Shhh.” Adam soothed, rocking Charlie from side to side., smoothing her curls only to have them pop up back into his face. “Leave the boxes.”

“But—”

“It will keep, my love. But right now, I need to dance. Will you dance with me?”

Charlie nodded, sniffling and wiping her nose. “Yes.”

“Then we shall dance.”

Charlie leaned against Adam the rest of the way down the stairs and into the living room. He selected Can’t Sleep Love. The peppy acapella song by Pentatonix Charlie would sing off key in the shower sometimes and spun Charlie into his arms. He smiled when she exhaled deep against him and burrowed into his chest.

“Better?” He questioned as the song ended.

Charlie nodded. “Yes.”

He pecked her lips. “I’m sorry. I will choose my words with greater care next time.”

“Thank you.” Charlie’s voice muffled. She inhaled his smell. Charlie found Adam’s scent soothing since returning home, and he found her wearing his shirts more and more, sniffing the collars while she read.

“I think we have done enough for today. Wouldn’t you say?”

It had only been three weeks since Adam rescued her. She still slept most of the day and not sleeping through the night because of nightmares. While she protested about moving in, Charlie hadn’t slept upstairs since they made up after the fight about Eve. She would close her eyes and see Jason’s sneer. It was not unusual for her to jolt upright in bed with a flop sweat.

“But the boxes,” she protested half-heartedly.

“I will grab the ones off the stairs while you,” He kissed the top of her head. “make yourself comfortable on the couch.”

“Fine.” Charlie didn’t have the energy to argue. But she stuck out her bottom lip in protest.

“I love you.” Adam kissed that lower lip.

“Love you too.”

By the time Adam retrieved the boxes and placed them in the spare bedroom, Charlie had passed out on the couch. He covered her with a blanket Charlie kept on the back of the couch and set about moving the rest of the boxes downstairs.

-

Hours later, Charlie woke up in Adam’s, well, their bed. Adam’s arm heavy across her waist and his leg draped across hers. His breath rustled her unkempt curls in a slow and even pattern.

“Adam?” Charlie tapped his shoulder. He murmured but didn’t move.

“Adam?’ she repeated, pushing a little harder. “I need to go to the bathroom.”

Nothing. Charlie huffed. She twisted to whisper in Adam’s ear.

“Darling?”

Her lips ghosted over his skin. Adam groaned and rolled onto his back. With a bit of wiggling, Charlie freed her legs. She hustled to the bathroom.

When she exited, Charlie peeked into the spare bedroom. Adam insisted she store her boxes in there until she unpacked them.

“Did he…?”

Boxes lined the walls, three and four deep. Charlie tapped her foot in frustration at Adam doing all the work without her. She didn’t want to be treated like she could break at any moment, ignoring the nightmares and crying jades. Charlie would never ask for help, having been used to suffering in silence for years growing up with her family. To Adam’s credit, he also moved her bookcase from her bedroom into the room.

With a sigh, Charlie flipped open a lid off of the banker’s box and began refilling the bookshelves. Soon, several stacks surrounded Charlie while she alphabetized everything. With tiny movements, she shifted in her spot, scooting around to reach around for more books.

“I swear he just tossed them in at random.” Charlie tsked.

She clicked her tongue at the surrounding mess. Hardbacks teetered on top of three or four trade paperbacks and her oversized non-fiction sat in a separate pile to deal with later. Careful to not disrupt her curated piles, Charlie grabbed the last box from the group. She didn’t notice the layer of dust on top as she flipped the lid and grabbed the two paperbacks on top. She did a double take at the title.

“The Horny Houseguest?” she muttered and then looked at the book in her other hand. Girls Camp. A quick inventory and Charlie surmised erotic novels filled the entire box. Lesbian erotic novels. From the 1950s to the 1970s, it would seem from the ranges of cover art. Charlie contemplated putting the lid back on and finding the rest of her own books when a better idea struck her.

-

Adam rolled onto his stomach and reached out into the dark to pull Charlie close to him. Instead, he found only air.

“Charlie?” he called out. The silence set his teeth on edge. Adam jumped from the bed and stormed out into the living room.

No sign of Charlie. Adam panicked for a moment, fearing something happened and she was gone for good this time. It was only then he caught the sliver of light coming from underneath the second bedroom door. He marched to the door and barreled in.

“You nearly gave me a heart attack, Charlie!” his voice stern. “You didn’t answer me when I called out to you.”

“AHHH!” Charlie screamed at Adam’s outburst, throwing whatever was in her hands onto the floor and sitting up on the bed. Her heart raced. She could already feel tears pricking her eyes. Her lower lip trembled. She mustered a stern tone. “Why in the hell did you come bursting in here like that? What if I was naked?”

“I’ve seen you naked. What are you even doing in here?”

“Alphabetizing. You should have had me help move things.” There was a small tremble in her voice.

“You have enough on your plate as it is.” Adam retorted, as he bent down to pick up the book, Charlie threw into the air when he came into the room. He glanced at the title, expecting something like Happier at Home or The Gift of Fear. His eyes widened at the copy of Babes Behind Bars. “Are you alphabetizing my porn?”

Charlie’s fingers fidgeted in front of her. She sniffled a bit. Her lower lip still trembled. Gazing up, Adam’s face pinched in what she perceived as anger causing her to panic. “They got mixed up with my stuff. Please don’t be mad. I can put it back. Don’t yell at me. I’m sorry.” She choked back some tears. Her tone and pitch grew frantic.

Adam closed the gap between them and kissed her hard on the lips. “I promise I won’t yell if it bothers you. Is it because of—” He cut off his thought as Charlie fidgeted against him. She nodded against him.

“I’ve got you, Charlie. You’re safe. That’s why you are moving down here. So you won’t have to be alone. Or afraid. Ever again. ”

“I know,” she sighed and sobbed. “Every time I close my eyes, I can see him and smell the beer coming off that futon and hear the bang and him…” Charlie collapsed against the bed. She covered her face and just cried, sobbing against her hand. “… just lying there dead on the floor.”

Adam curled up next to her, pulling Charlie so close they almost became one being. “I’m not letting go, darling. I am here.” Charlie sobbed some more.

“Will I ever be normal again?” she cried out. “Will the nightmares stop?”

Adam didn’t have answers. He realized it would take more than dances in the living room and naps on the sofa to help Charlie move past the trauma. To live with it without reliving it.

“I am not sure, my love. But I will be there, holding your hand every step of the way.”

Charlie’s voice croaked and choked over her tears. “Thank you. I don’t want to hurt anymore, Adam. I’m tired of remembering.”

He squeezed her tight and rolled her onto his chest to stare into Charlie’s eyes.

“I know, my love. Shh….” He kissed the tip of her nose while wiping away the tears from her cheeks and the corner of her eyes before smoothing away her wild curls. “No more talking.” He kissed her again. He wrapped his feet around her ankles to lock her in place against him.

“I’m tired again, Adam.”

“Would you like me to carry you to bed?”

Charlie nodded, her crying subsiding. He scooped her into his arms like a rag doll, carried her down the tiny hallway, stepping over bits of machinery and clothing. She sighed as her body hit the cool sheets of the bed. Adam turned to walk away, but Charlie reached out.

“Will you stay with me?” Her fingers curled to grip his. “At least until I fall asleep.”

Adam nodded and pulled up a chair to hold her hand. He didn’t let go until her arm fell slack and Charlie rolled over onto her side, clutching to her pillow. Adam rose, making certain the blankets covered her. He fished out the phone from underneath balls of composition paper and Kleenex. He punched in a familiar number.

“Hello?”

“Frank.”

“Twice in one month, Adam. It’s a new personal record. Did you find the girl?”

“I did. Thank you.”

“Listen, about Eve. The two of you were something else. I can’t believe she’s gone. Shit, I’m sorry.”

Adam’s lips pull tight. He had been so consumed with Charlie’s well-being, he didn’t have time to dwell on his own trauma.

“Thanks, man. Listen, I need another favor.”

“Another girl? I’m not into that line of—”

“No. I need a name.”

“Okay, Bobby Darin. There’s a name.”

Adam rolled his eyes. “I’m being serious, Frank. The girl. I love her.”

“I didn’t know.”

“How could you? Anyway, she went through some shit and needs someone to talk to…”

“I’m not the talking type.”

“I’m hanging up the phone, Frank.”

“Adam, wait! Just trying to inject some humor. So she needs a therapist. Why doesn’t she just call up the nearest clinic?”

“Ava was there. And besides, she would never go on her own. She needs one of us. She puts on a strong face, but I know she is broken inside.”

Frank let loose a low whistle. “You two sound like a match made in heaven. I guess lightning can strike twice. I know someone, do you have pen and paper?”

Adam swept his hand over the coffee table until he found a page ripped from one of his notebooks and a nub of a pencil. Frank gave Adam a name and number, which Adam repeated back to make sure he had it right.

“Thank you, Frank.”

“I hope things get better for your girl. She must be something extraordinary to have gotten in your decayed old heart.”

“Her name is Charlie and yes she is. Thanks again, man.”

“My pleasure, but the next time you call it better be to invite me to a wedding.”

Adam chuckled.

“Yeah right.”

He hung up the phone and folded the piece of paper, tucking it into the pocket of his dressing gown before picking up the 1905 Gibson and plucking the strings.

-

Charlie had no concept of time anymore. Between her interrupted sleep schedule, Adam’s nocturnal habits, and blackout curtains, she never could tell if the sun was out or not. She groaned, rolling over to find Adam not there. Charlie blinked to adjust to the dim lighting of the bedroom. Turning the other way, Charlie did not expect to find a plate of toast, sausage, coffee, and orange juice on the chair Adam sat in when she drifted off.

She grabbed a piece of toast and took a bite. Cookie butter. She hummed in satisfaction and devoured the piece, followed by a second and a third. She nibbled on the sausage in between sips of orange juice, which cooled her throat.

“You’re eating.” Adam commented, leaning against the doorframe, arms crossed in front of him.

Charlie swallowed and stared at him. “Yeah?” she questioned.

“You’ve been skipping meals.”

“So have you.” she countered.

“I’ll survive.” Adam walked to sit at the end of the bed by Charlie’s feet, rubbing them through the sheets.

“So will I.”

“You shouldn’t have to, my dear.” Adam fiddled with a folded piece of paper between his fingers.

Charlie’s brow knitted. “What’s that?”

“A name. Someone to talk to.”

“I have you.”

“You need more than me in that regard. I will be with you, but you need professional help.”

He shoved the paper at Charlie. She unfolded it and read a name and number.

“I can’t just talk to a therapist about how my ex-boss and a vampire kidnapp—”

“She’s like me. She can meet with you via video and is 100% discrete. I thought it made sense to talk to another vampire. So you could be 100% honest.”

Charlie wrapped her arms around Adam’s neck and squeezed him tight.

“Thank you, my love.” she muttered into his neck, tears wetting the skin.

Adam’s hand ran up and down her back. “You’re welcome. Will you make the call?”

Charlie nodded. “As soon as I finish breakfast and you eat too.”

Adam opened his mouth to protest, but Charlie cut him off. “No excuses. You eat or I don’t call.”

“That’s blackmail. Extortion.” Adam deadpanned.

“But it’s effective.” Charlie smirked, knowing she won the battle.

-

Charlie’s nails dug into Adam’s hand as she squeezed so hard his knuckles popped. Her knee shook as her foot fidgeted while waiting for the Skype call to connect.

“It will be okay, darling.” He kissed her temple.

The screen popped to life and a pale woman with a shock of auburn hair tied back appeared.

“Charlie and Adam.” the woman greeted.

“Simone.” Adam returned and Charlie waved out of nerves.

“It’s okay, Charlie. No need to be nervous. I am a friendly face.”

Charlie let loose a ragged breath. “I realize that.”

Simone smiled, her gaze shifted to Adam.

“If it is alright with you, Charlie, I would like to talk to you alone first and then bring Adam back at the end.”

Charlie’s eyes darted at Adam and he nodded in encouragement. He kissed her lips. “I will be one room away. I can be here in a second.”

Simone watched the entire exchange with practiced eyes. Human and vampire intimate relationships were rare, but it was clear these two were devoted to each other. It boded well for Charlie’s treatment and recovery.

Once Adam stepped away, Charlie turned her attention to Simone.

“So Charlie, I hear you went through a pretty traumatic experience.” Charlie nodded, fighting back tears. “But let’s talk about you first. Tell me about your time at Legal Aid.”

Charlie took a deep breath and started on this long journey with a single sentence.

“I have always wanted to help people.”


End file.
